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The mathematics curriculum is designed to expose students to a wide spectrum of ideas in modern mathematics, to train students in the art of logical reasoning and clear expression, and to provide students with an appreciation of the beauty of the subject and of its vast applicability.

The major requires six core courses, and four electives at or above the 200 level.

Core Requirements:

With the exception of Senior Conference, equivalent courses at Haverford or elsewhere may be substituted for Bryn Mawr courses. In consultation with a major adviser, a student may also petition the department to accept courses in fields outside of mathematics as electives if these courses haveserious mathematical content appropriate to the student's program.

Students entering with a 4 or 5 on the Calculus AB advanced placement test will be given credit for Mathematics 101, and should enroll in Mathematics 102 as their first mathematics course. Students entering with a 4 or 5 on the Calculus BC advanced placement test will be given credit for Mathematics 101 and 102, and should enroll in Mathematics 201 as their first mathematics course.

Students considering the possibility of graduate study in mathematics or related fields are urged to go well beyond the minimum requirements of the major. In such cases, a suitable program of study should be designed with the advice of a major adviser.

Math majors are encouraged to complete their core requirements other than Senior Conference by the end of their junior year. Senior Conference must be taken during the senior year. Below are some general guidelines for the selection of electives for students who wish to pursue a program focused on either pure or applied mathematics:

Pure Mathematics Focus

Strongly recommended:
  • Transition to Higher Mathematics (204)
  • Abstract Algebra, semester II (304; H334)
  • Topology (312; H335)
  • Complex Variables (322)
Select additional courses from:
  • Differential Equations (210; H204)
  • Partial Differential Equations (311)
  • Topology, semester II (313; H336)
  • Complex Variables, semester II (323)
  • Chaotic Dynamical Systems (351)
  • Number Theory (290, 390)
Applied Mathematics Focus

Select remaining courses from:
  • Applied Statistics (H203)
  • Transition to Higher Mathematics (204)
  • Probability (205; H218)
  • Differential Equations (210; H204)
  • Discrete Mathematics (231)
  • Numerical Analysis (308; H320)
  • Partial Differential Equations (311)
  • Complex Variables (322)
  • Mathematical Biology (329)
  • Chaotic Dynamical Systems (351)
For students who wish to pursue a more computational major, a course in Discrete Mathematics (231) is highly recommended. In addition, certain computer science courses will be accepted as electives, including Analysis of Algorithms (H340), Theory of Computation (H345) and Advanced Topics in Discrete Mathematics and Computer Science (H394). These courses may count toward a computer science minor or major as well (see the computer science listings).

Students with interdisciplinary interests, for example in mathematical physics, may design an independent major in consultation with the faculty. For students entering with advanced placement credits it is possible to earn both the A.B. and M.A. degrees in an integrated program in four or five years. See also the section on Curricular Opportunities earlier in this catalogue for a description of the five-year joint program with the University of Pennsylvania for earning both an A.B. at Bryn Mawr and an engineering degree at Penn.

The degree with honors in mathematics is awarded by the department to students who have achieved excellence in the work of the major and in a program of independent work undertaken in the senior year, including an honors thesis, which may be an expository paper or some original research.

Requirements for the minor in mathematics are five courses in mathematics at the 200 level or higher, of which at least two are 300 level or higher.

Any course in mathematics at the 100 level or above satisfies the College requirement of work in mathematics or Quantitative Skills. Moreover, students who choose to fulfill the additional work requirement in mathematics, rather than language, must take a semester of calculus and any other semester course in mathematics at the 100 level or above.